• GRADE 12

     

    The Penn-Delco School District’s Secondary Language Arts Curriculum is based on the Pennsylvania Academic Standards for Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening.

     

    A.   Students in Grade 12 who meet the reading standards are able to:

     

    • Locate various texts, media and traditional resources for assigned and independent projects.
    • Analyze the structure of informational materials explaining how authors use it to achieve their purposes.
    • Use knowledge of root words and words from literary works to recognize and understand meaning of new words during reading.
    • Identify, describe, synthesize and evaluate the essential ideas in text. Assess the reading strategies that were most effective in learning from a variety of texts.
    • Demonstrate after reading understanding: cite evidence, compare and contrast, make extensions, assess validity, and evaluate strategies of the author.
    • Demonstrate fluency and comprehension in reading.
    • Read and understand essential content of informational texts and documents in all content areas.
    • Use and understand a variety of media and evaluate the quality of the material.
    • Read and understand works of literature.
    • Analyze the relationships, uses and effectiveness of literary elements used by one or more authors in similar genres, including characterization, setting, plot, theme, point of view, tone and style.
    • Analyze the effectiveness, in terms of literary quality, of the author’s use of literary devices: rhyme, rhythm, meter, alliteration, personification, simile, metaphor, hyperbole, irony, satire, foreshadowing, flashbacks, progressive and digressive time, diction, understatement, overstatement and paradox.
    • Analyze and evaluate in poetry the appropriateness of diction and figurative language.
    • Analyze how a dramatist’s use of words creates tone and mood and how choice of words advances the theme of the play.  

     

    B.   Students in Grade 12 who meet the writing standards are able to:

    • Write short stories, poems and plays including dialogue, literary conflict and literary devices.
    • Write informational pieces including research papers, analyses, evaluations and essays.
    • Write persuasive pieces with a clearly stated position, supporting evidence, counter argument and strong conclusion.
    • Write a personal resume.
    • Write essay in response to a prompt such as a college application essay.
    • Write with a distinct focus identifying topic and audience and maintaining a single point of view.
    • Write using well developed content.
    • Write with logical order and effective transitions.
    • Write with stylistic aspects including precise language and varied sentence length and types.
    • Revise writing  after rechecking central idea, content, paragraph development, level of detail, style, tone and word choice.
    • Edit writing using the correct conventions of the language: spelling, punctuation, capitalization, parts of speech and sentence structure.
    • Present writing for publication when appropriate.

     

    C.   Students in Grade 12 who meet the speaking and listening standards are able to:

    • Listen to others, ask clarifying questions, synthesize information and take notes.
    • Listen to selections of fiction and non-fiction, relate them to previous knowledge, summarize and reflect on what is heard, identify new words and concepts and analyze the selection.
    • Speak using skills appropriate to formal speech situations.
    • Pace presentations to audience and purpose.
    • Adjust stress, volume and inflection.
    • Use standard English.
    • Contribute to discussions, ask clarifying questions and respond with relevant information.
    • Participate in small and large group discussions and presentations
    • Participate in interviews and debates.
    • Use media for learning purposes and to make presentations.
     

    D.   Students in Grade 12 who meet the characteristics and functions of the English language standard are able to:

    • Analyze the influence of events in the American literature content on the English language.
    • Analyze various geographical dialects in the English language.
    • Evaluate and explain the role and influence of the English language.

     

    E.   Students in Grade 12 who meet the research standard are able to:

    • Select a topic based on teacher guideline and narrow the topic suitable for research.
    • Locate information using appropriate sources both traditional and electronic.
    • Determine the validity of the sources.
    • Develop a thesis statement.
    • Follow the steps necessary to complete a research paper or project.
    • Take notes and provide proper documentation using a standard method.
    • Give precise, formal credit for others’ ideas, images and information.
    • Organize, summarize and present the research.